Conveying apparatus.



P. P. WABCHTER- CONVEYING APPARATUS. APPLIOATION IVILBD SEPT. 25, 1911.

1,010,989.4 I Y PatenteaDec..5,1911.

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l jyzlvewf- P. F. WABCHTER.-

CONVEYING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 25, .1911.

1,010,989. Patented Dec.5,19v11.

F. F. WAEGHTER.

CONVEYING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SM1-.25, 1911.

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Patented 1190.5,1911 A COLUMBIA PLANooR/P/M CO.. WASHINGTON, D. c.

' UNITED STATES `'PATENT OFFICE,

FERDINAND F. WAECI-ITER, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THEJ'. M. DODGE COMPANY, OF NAUGATUCK, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CON-NECTIGUT.

CONVEYING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 5, 1911.

y Application led September 25, 1911. Serial No. 651,231.

-have invented certain Improvements in Con veying Apparatus, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in means for traversingtrucks from one locality to another by mechanical means.

The main object ofthe invention isV to utilize a part of the weight ofthe truck and load, or a part o f the weight of the truck alone tocausethe trucl to grip the rope or other traversing means.

vA further object of the invention is to utilice the ordinary hand truckwithout removing the load so as to avoid the necessity of transferringthe load from a truck to a power driven carrier and from the powerdriven carrier to a truck at the discharge point. l

The invention is particularly adaptedv for handling material such ascotton, boXes and other miscellaneous freight at a wharf or storageWarehouse, so as to obviate the necessity of the stevedore trundling atruck a long distance. d

In the accompanying drawingsz--Figure 1, is a sectional view of a truckand the floor of a platform or other way, illustrating the loaded truckengaged vby a traveling rope; Fig. 2,is a plan view of Fig. 1,with theload removed; Fig. 3, is a sectional view on the line 3 8, Fig. 2; Fig.4, is a view showing` the platform provided with rails to guide thetruck; Fig. 5, is a plan view in diagram of an elevated structure towhich my invention can be applied; Fig. 6, is a side view of thestructure illustrated in Fig. 5; Fig. 7, is an enlarged sectional viewof the device showing a modification of the arrangement of the rope, thesection being on the line 7 7, Fig. 8; Fig. 8, is a sectional view onthe line 8-8, Fig. 7; Fig.9, is a side view with the Hoor in section,illustrating a modification of the invention; 10, is a plan view ofthetruck illustrated in Fig. 9; Fig. l1, is an inverted perspective view ofthe grip of the truck shown in Fig. l; Fig. l2, y

is a view of a modified form of grip; Fig. 13, is a view of the gripprovided with projections in the jaws to more readily engage the rope.'

A is the licor, B is the rope or other suitable traveling device towhich power is applied. This rope is supported at intervals on rollers bof any suitable type adapted to bearings b.l

` C is a truck of the two-wheeled type, in the present instance, and ofthe ordinary form used by stevedores in handling miscellaneous freight.This truck has a shaft D on which are mounted wheels d and has handlesc, c.

E is a depending foot which is suitably' braced and has a grip notch ein its lower end for the reception ofthe rope B. This foot is braced asat E but the type of the foot and in fact the type of the truck may bemodified without departing from the essential features of the invention.The foot rests upon the rope and consequently the weight of the truckand its load is supported partly by the iioor A and partly by the ropeB, and the pressure on the rope is suliicient to create friction enoughto cause the rope to impart movement to the truck. They contactingsurface'of the foot E is of such an extent that the truck will be heldin engagement with the rope, due to the weight of the truck and theload, and cause'the rope to haul the truck to the point desired.

The truck is preferably placed in position in respect to the movement ofthe rope, as illustrated in Fig. 1, so that the foot will engage therope in advance of the wheels, and the truck will thus be properlyguided. lf preferably locate the rope within the slotof the way orplatform, so that it will not interfere with the movement of the truckover the way, and the foot is so shaped that it will enter the slot,shown at a, so as to properly bear upon the rope. The foot can be usedto support the load when not 1n engagement with the rope. The stevedore1n handling the truck handles it along'the way and when in positionllowers the handled end of the truck so that the foot E will rest uponthe rope. This rope travels slowly and the stevedore has time to stepout of the Way before the truck moves to any appreciable extent. Thetruck will -be carried to any point desired by the rope and as theWheels are at the rear of the truck as it moves forward they follow themovement of the rope and properly support part of the load. lV hen thetruck reaches its destination another stevedore steps in front of themoving truck, lifts it from Contact. with .the rope and then trundles itto the point f suit-ably braced between the posts and terminals a atintervals and may .have an 4elevator a2 at any point desired, so thatwhen the truck is removed from the platform `it can be lowered to theground by means of an elevator. The yrope is reaved around suitabledriving pulleys in t-he ordinary manner common todriveropes andasillustrat-ed.

In Figs. 7 and 8, I have illustrated ,the rope B located `above theplatform A and the supporting Wheels 5 extend through the floor of theplatform.

`In Fig. ll, I have illustrated a .particular form of grip used in thedevice illustrated in Fig. l, in which it has a curved slot e to receivethe rope, but in iFig. 12 I Ihave shown a modification in which the slote is V-shaped to receive the rope, and in Fig. 13, I have shown theV-shaped slot e having projecting ribs e2, Which tend to Lbite into therope, but the form of the gripping surface may be modified Withoutdeparting from the essential features of the invention.

In Figs. 9 and 10, I have illustrated my invention as applied to a fourWheeled truck. D, D2 are the axles on Whichare mounted the Wheels d',d2, respectively, and C is a fralne which is supported by all four ofthe Wheels. Mounted Within the frame C is the load carrying frame C2Which is pivoted to the axle D and rests on the cross bar o of the outerframe. Depending lfrom this load carrying frame C2 is the foot E notchedto receive the rope B2. This lfoot is of such a length that when notinengagenient with the rope it Will not interfere With the innercarrying frame C2 resting upon the cross bar c', When the truck is beingshifted from one place to another the load is carried by the fourWheels, but When itis in position and the foot E rests upon the ropethen the load is partly carried by the outer frame and its Wheels andpartly by the rope; the friction being sufficient to cause the rope tohaul the truck over the platform or Way.

In Fig. 4 I have shown the platform provided With rails a made of angleiron in the present instance, so as to guide the Wheels of the truck ifdesired.

I claim:

l. In a haulage system, the combination of a Way; a driven rope; a truckhaving a friction grip arranged to rest upon the rope, the Weight ofthe' truck and its load lbeing utilized to cause the grip tofrictionally engage the rope.

2. In a haulage syst-em; the combination of a Way, a rope; means fortraversing said rope; a struck having Wheels adapted to travel on :theWay and having a grip arranged to rest upon the rope; part of the loadbeing supported bythe Wheels and the balance of ythe load being utilizedas a Weight to cause the grip to engage the rope'.

3. In a haulage system, the combination of a Way; a rope; means `fortraversing the rope; ,a truck having two Wheels at one end resting onthe Way on each side ofthe rope; and a grip at the otherend arranged torest upon .the rope; the Weight of the load and its truckbeing utilizedto cause the grip to frictionally engage the rope.

4. The 'combination in a haulage system, of a Way; a rope; means fortraversing the rope; .Wheels for supporting ther-ope at intervals ,atruck having at one end a pair of Wheels resting onthe Way oneach sideofthe rope and having at the oppositeend a depending legnotched tolengagethe rope.

5. The combination in a haulagesystem, of.a way;.a .ropeg means fortraversing Lthe rope; Wheels ,forsupportingthe rope at intervals; atruck having atone end a pair of Wheels resting on the Way on eachsideof the rope and havingat the opposite end a recessed griparranged toengage the rope; saill grip having aprojection on each inner Wa f6. `Thecombination in ahaulage system; of a platform; a rope; means fortraversing the rope; Wheels for supportingtherope at intervals; atruckhaving at one end a pair of Wheels resting on the platform on each sideofthe rope and having at theopposite end arecessed grip arranged toengage the rope; lsaid grip having teeth projecting frornthe wallsofsaidgrip and said teeth being staggered.

7. Ina haulage system, the combination of a Way; adriven rope;atruckhaving a -friction grip resting upon the upper side of name tothis specification, in the presence of the rope, part of the Weight ofthe truck and tWo subscribing Witnesses.

its load loeino` utilized to cause the grip to l friotionally ngage therope, said grip be- FERDINAND F' WAECHTER' 5 ing released from the ropewhen the grip Witnesses:

is raised. WM. E. SHUPE, In testimony whereof, I have signed my WM. A.BARR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, f Washington, D. C.

